Netflix buys documentary about life and death of trans icon Marsha P. Johnson

Netflix buys documentary about life and death of trans icon Marsha P. Johnson

Netflix has bought the worldwide rights to David France’s documentaryThe Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson, that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.

The film takes a hard look at the 1992 murder of the transgender legend often referred to as “the Rosa Parks of the LGBT movement.” This is France’s follow-up to his Oscar-nominated How toSurvive a Plague.

The film will launch globally on the streaming service later this year.

Johnson was found floating in the Hudson River in 1992 and her death was initially ruled a suicide. The documentary follows crime victim advocate Victoria Cruz’s efforts to re-examine what happened that day as well as take stock of the challenges still facing the community.

Marsha P. Johnson played an important role in the Stonewall Riots of 1969 and along with Sylvia Rivera formed the world’s very first trans-rights organization, STAR (Street Transvestites Action Revolutionaries) in 1970.

If you don’t want to wait to see it on Netflix, The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson will be screened at Outfest in Los Angeles.